English Explanatory Dictionary

roach motel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A low-priced motel in a state of disrepair.
  2. Something that is easy to enter, but is difficult or costly to leave.
  3. A cockroach trap.

Word forms

roach motel roach motels

Etymology

The meaning "low-priced motel" is because such a place might be expected to be infested with roaches. The meaning "something easy to enter, difficult to leave" is from American roach-bait brand Roach Motel, advertised with the slogan "Roaches check in, but they don't check out!"

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on R Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary